Despite overwhelming opposition from pupils, parents, teachers; governors and the local community at Unity College, the County Council are going ahead with the next stage of fast tracking Unity to become an academy.

Richard Church attended the meeting, together with parents, pupils and teachers, where the Council’s cabinet member for schools, Conservative Councillor Joan Kirkbride made the decision to go ahead. There were many excellent conributions from those who spoke, and no-one had a good word to say about the proposal, or the botched consultation that has happened so far.

With the support of at least 7 other County Councillors, Richard is going to ask that the decision is ‘called in’ for examination by the councils scrutiny committee.

I shall be adding my support to the campaign against an academy at Unity. With a new Head and new buildings, Unity desperately needs a period of stability in which it can work to improve. Now is not the time to be fast tracked into another organisational shake up with little evidence that it will achieve anything that cannot be done under the current arrangements.

UPDATE Conservative councillors have blocked the attempted call-in, so the fast-track to academy status for Unity continues.

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